Generic tool for measuring the reliability of product development processes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a generic method and tool for assessing the reliability and robustness of the product development process. Design/methodology/approach – By extending the integrated definition for function modelling (IDEF0)‐based modelling approach, the paper demonstrates how to calculate the effectiveness of the process and the quality of the process output based on the quality of inputs, the controls and the tools used within the process. To illustrate and validate the proposed approach, it is applied to a case study of a product development process incorporating incomplete, fuzzy and uncertain inputs and resources. Findings – Demonstrates the effectiveness of the tool in providing a quantified assessment of the process as well as its ability to identify those critical areas which will yield a significant improvement in the outcome of the product development process. Originality/value – The technique is a valuable tool to assess the robustness and sensitivity of the process to changes in the quality of inputs, controls and tools, and can be integrated into businesses processes and management systems, and used as a tool to support continuous business and manufacturing decisions at any point of time.